1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distance measurement and photometry apparatus suitable to an image taking device such as a camera.
2. Related Background Art
Up to now, according to an image taking device such as a camera which is provided with a distance measurement apparatus and a photometry apparatus of an external measurement type, the distance measurement apparatus is constructed as a single unit in which distance measurement accuracy is adjusted, the photometry apparatus is also constructed as a single separate unit and adjusted such that brightness can be measured with predetermined precision, and the respective apparatuses are built into the image taking device.
A distance measurement region (range) of the distance measurement apparatus is within a distance measurement area indicated in a finder, and the center of a photometry region (range) of the photometry apparatus is substantially coincided with the center of the finder. In general image taking, an object is positioned in a central portion in many cases. Thus, even in such a configuration, the suitable amount of exposure can be obtained.
Now, in order to support the case where an object is not necessarily positioned in the central portion, a multi-point distance measurement apparatus, that is, a distance measurement apparatus capable of measuring distances at a plurality of regions in both the central portion and the peripheral portion is devised and widely employed. Similarly, even in the photometry apparatus, a division photometry apparatus which is provided with a plurality of photometry sensors, divides a finder field region into a plurality of regions, and measures brightness in each of the regions is practically used.
However, as described above, the photometry region and the distance measurement region are both determined based on the finder field. Thus, from the influence of a so-called parallax, it cannot be avoided that the photometry region and the distance measurement region are shifted with respect to an object at particularly a near distance. In particular, when the distance measurement apparatus and the photometry apparatus are located at a distance, a parallax becomes larger. Therefore, there is a possibility that a distance measurement object and a photometry object are different from each other.
Also, up to now, the determination of whether or not an object is in a backlight state is possible only in the case where the object exists in the central portion. Thus, if it is determined that the object exists outside the central portion, it is difficult to determine a backlight state from the above reason.
According to one characteristic of the present invention, there is provided a distance measurement and photometry apparatus which sets a distance between distance measurement sensors and distance measurement light receiving lenses and a distance between a plurality of photometry sensors and photometry light receiving lenses such that a position of a region within the observation field in which information is obtained by the distance measurement sensors is equal to a position of a region within the observation field in which information is obtained by the photometry sensors irrespective of a distance to the measurement object, and which can prevent that a distance measurement region in which the measurement object is captured and a photometry region provided corresponding to the distance measurement region are shifted even when the set measurement object is located at any distance.